Tis’ the season for… passione nella cucina….Fa la la la la.. la la la la.

The holiday season is a special time. Christmas carols, peppermint, mall santas, hats with fuzz balls, and white snow (I hope) add to the joy that comes around this time of year. And by joy I mean cooking. All of the other stuff I mentioned comes second to cooking.

Whether it’s Christmas Eve dinner, or Christmas Day dinner, or any special family meal throughout the winter months, this BenGusto Roast Beef recipe serves as the best spotlight for any event. It’s easy too: just stick a roast beef seasoned with salt, pepper, and a few herbs, let it slow roast and cook in its own flavorful juices, and then prepare a little bit of mushrooms cooked in a red wine sauce to accompany each slice of beautifully roasted beef. Bellissimo! 

I spent a little more time than usual preparing this recipe to be shared. I realized that such a holiday centerpiece deserves a good amount of attention, and I hoped to share a BenGusto roast beef recipe that would add to the joy of many holidays to come.

Buon Natale!

• 3 lb. Roast Beef
• 1 1/2 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary
• 1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme
• 1 tsp. + 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp.+ 1 tsp.  Pepper
• 1 tbsp. Bread Crumbs
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 24 oz. White Mushrooms
• 2 small, diced Yellow Onion
• 1 cup good, dry Red Wine
• 1/2 cup Beef Stock
• 2 Cloves
• 1 Bay Leaf

Take the roast beef out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Finely chop the thyme and rosemary. Throw them into a small bowl.

 

Mince 3 cloves of garlic and add to the bowl.

Add the 1 tbsp. bread crumbs, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper to the bowl. Stir in the 1 tbsp. olive oil. Set herb mixture aside for now.

Cut each of the remaining 3 cloves of garlic in half.

Line a pan with tin foil. Place the roast beef on top.

Using a knife, poke a few holes in the roast beef. Place a garlic chunk  in each hole.

 

Sprinkle 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper on the roast beef, ensuring to season both sides.

Place the roast beef fat side up (this will help keep the good juices flowing in the roast beef). Spread the herb mixture over the top of the roast beef.

Slice the mushrooms and dice 1 of the yellow onions. Spread the onions and 1/3 of the mushrooms around the roast beef.

Cook the roast beef for 25 minutes at 375 F˚, and then for 1 1/2 hours at 225˚. Take out the roast beef when a thermometer placed in the middle of the meat reads 135-140˚ *Note: Other recipes may cut the cooking time, but a slower roast produces the juiciest meat. If your roast beef is larger than 3 lb., the 225˚ cooking time can increase by an hour.

Once the roast beef is done and the thermometer reads 135˚, place the leftover meat fat and juices, along with the cooked mushroom and onion, in a medium pot. Wrap the roast beef in a sheet of tin foil and let rest.

Add the cooked mushroom, onion, and beef juices to the uncooked onion in a medium saucepan.

 

Dice the remaining yellow onion and add it to the medium pot. Cook the onion in the leftover juices over medium heat on the stove, until the onion cooks through. If there is not enough fat and it is too dry, add a dash of olive oil.

Add the rest of the uncooked mushrooms to the pot. Pour in the 1 cup of wine, 1/2 cup beef stock, 2 cloves, and 1 bay leaf. Let simmer over low heat until the liquid has almost boiled out completely. Add salt to taste (taste the mushrooms before you add salt).

Serve the sliced roast beef warm with the mushrooms and family to share. Garnish with parsley if desired. Buon natale!